Robot Racers Senior Project

1. Robot RacersSenior Project Doran Wilde and James Archibald 8January 2013

2. The Competition • Program autonomous vehicles to play capture the flag without human intervention. • Experience the thrill of victory, or the agony of defeat!

3. Goal: attract a crowd! Robot Soccer Finals 2004: WSC Garden Court

4. History • This is seventh year of robot racers. • 2006: garden hose course • 2007: <hiatus for DARPA urban challenge> • 2008: pylon course • 2009: pylon course • 2010: laser tag / capture the flag • 2011: laser tag / capture the flag • 2012: laser tag / capture the flag • Websites of past teams are available. • Search them for ideas, code, experiences. infrastructure

5. Base Equipment • Standard RC monster truck • On-board camera, custom FPGA board • Virtex-4 has 2 PowerPCs on chip • Wireless link to remote basestation for e-stop, debugging

6. Laser-tag Kit • Game module includes: • CPU • LEDs (to reflect state) • Sensors (to detect shot) • LED + lens (to shoot) • Speaker • Comm. link to other game modules

7. Game Rules (2012) • Shot types (encoded in signal): • KILL, REVIVE, PASS • Player states: • ALIVE, ALIVE WITH FLAG, DISABLED • Each team has fixed base that holds its flag at outset.

8. Game Rules (2012) • Successful KILL shot disables opponent and takes away flag (if held). • Disabled vehicle can move, but cannot shoot KILL shots or hold flag. • Disabled player re-enabled by REVIVE shot from teammate or REVIVE shot to base. • PASS shot gives flag to base or teammate. • Win by moving opponent flag to your base.

9. Fundamental Rules • Starting play • Play begins with signal from official. • “Start” command entered on desktop. • “Start play” sent from base computer to vehicle. • No direction from base allowed after start. • Sole exception: “emergency stop” from base. • No limits on what vehicle streams back for debugging, logging, etc.

10. Defining 2013 Competition • Lots of options exist. Examples: • Could have all 4 teams competing at same time • infrastructure supports this • Could pair up: 2 teams with 2 vehicles each • teamwork strategy • Could include obstacles • possible for vehicles to hide • location, navigation become critical • Be creative, but achieve basic functionality first!

11. Technical Knowledge Required • Feedback control • Computer vision • Programming • Real-time software • VHDL design for FPGAs • System design, testing, and debugging

12. Prerequisites • Feedback control • Computer vision • Programming • Real-time software • VHDL design for FPGAs • System design, testing, and debugging ECEn 483 CS classes ECEn 425 ECEn 427

13. Teams • This year: 4 teams, 5 students each • Essential: • Every team has ECEn 483, 427 background • Every participant has good programming skills • Baseline: all on team get same grade • Sink or swim together: must work as a team • Possible exception: lower grades for slackers • We form teams TODAY

14. Design Reviews • Held monthly, your team only • Content of business lectures big help here • Pay attention to review criteria!

15. Grading • 25% - Project management assignments • Handled by Doug Clifford • 25% - Meeting milestones in timely way • Both team and group assignments • 25% - Design reviews • Both presentation and web report • 25% - Demonstrated performance • In practice and final competitions

16. Commitment • From BYU catalog: “The expectation for undergraduate courses is 3 hours of work per week per credit hour for the average student who is appropriately prepared; much more time may be required to achieve excellence.” • This project is simply not doable on your own; it requires a committed team. • With 5 individuals each working 15 hours/week, you can accomplish a great deal. • If you can’t commit to this, you are being unfair to teammates. • Find a way to contribute your fair share to the team.

17. Rewards • Confidence in your engineering abilities. • Experience with interesting technology. • A substantive team experience. • Preparation for related research and study.

18. Teamwork • Mostly ignored in engineering curriculum, but very important in real world. • How can you make your team successful? • Clear team organization, responsibilities • Regular meetings, good communication • Individual commitment to excellence

19. Team Specialists • Leader and magician • Control guru and resident genius • Navigator and mystical guide • Vision expert and oracle • Communication lord and poet laureate • Hardware and embedded system wizard • GUI artist and master programmer • Game AI strategist and algorithmist • Golf pro (optional)

20. Teamwork II • The larger the team, the more critical the role of the leader in coordinating efforts. • Team requirement: weekly report via email to Dr. Archibald every Friday with • Team status and progress • Individual status and progress (confidential) • Pick capable leader with appropriate skills! • Your responsibility to keep leader up-to-date

21. Assignment • Before Thursday, team leader sends email to Drs. Wilde and Archibald with: • team name • information about each team member: • name • email address • Route Y id • specializations

22. Questions?

23. Let’s form teams. • Hard constraint: must include • Control expert (483) – at least one • VHDL/FPGA expert (427) – preferably two